Top rolls



L. W. PRAY Jan. 6, 1959 TOP ROLLS Filed March 30, 1956 rate TOP ROLLS Lester W. Pray, Saco, Maine, assignor to Saco-Lowell Shops, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Maine This invention relates to top rolls used in the drawing mechanisms of spinning and roving frames and the like, and, more particularly, to top rolls of the type supported and weighted at their central portions only, rather than by cap bars at the ends thereof.

As is well understood by those skilled in this art, such a drawing mechanism comprises a series of pairs of upper and lower rolls, arranged one in advance of the other, to operate successively on a sliver, roving or the like to feed it and to draw it out or attenuate it during said feeding operation. The bottom rolls customarily are long fluted steel rolls and are positively driven by gearing located at one end of the machine. The upper or top rolls, however, are short and customarily are driven only by their contact with the bottom rolls. Partly for the purpose of improving this driving engagement and partly, also, to enable each pair of rolls to exert a better grip on the sliver or roving, the top rolls are pressed firmly against the bottom rolls by means of a weighting mechanism.

Classically, top rolls have been supported at their ends in cap bars and weighted by means of a suitable saddle bearing on their central portion between their bosses. With the advent of the modern high draft spinning and roving frames, however, with their high roll pressures, it has been found desirable to employ a self-aligning structure for the top rolls, and particularly the front top roll, which has required the supporting, as well as the weighting of the top rolls at their central portions. This, together with the increased roll pressures and higher speeds in use with such frames, has necessitated the use of antifriction bearings in such rolls, which has increased the difliculty and cost of manufacturing them.

Although many types of anti-friction top rolls having ball or needle bearings or the like are now in use, the problems of their design and construction, particularly at a satisfactorily low cost, are not inconsiderable, and one of the more serious problems concerns the periodic lubrication of such bearings in use.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel anti-friction top roll of the type described wherein the roll may be readily disassembled for periodic lubrication of the anti-friction bearings and then quickly reassembled, all without the use of special tools. The invention also provides a simple and rugged yet highly accurate top roll which may be manufactured at reasonable cost.

For the purpose of more fully describing a preferred embodiment of the invention, reference is made to the following description, together with the accompanying drawing wherein is shown a side elevation, partly in section, of the top roll of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, the top roll of the invention has a central shaft 12 with a pair of axially spaced grooves 14 therein, preferably of cross-sectional configuration corresponding to a segment of a circle, which function as the inner races of a ball-bearing assembly. The end portions 16 of said shaft extend outwardly beyond the 2,617,695 Patented Jan. 6, 1959 of said end portions is provided an annular groove 20 having a relatively steeply-sloped outer conical surface 22, say at an angle of 45, and an inner conical surface 24 of lesser slope, say of 20.

A pair of axially-spaced bosses 30, preferably having the usual resilient cots 32, are demountably secured to shaft 12, as hereinafter more fully described. Preferably, cots 32 do not extend to the outer ends of bosses 30 to so provide ends of reduced diameter. The adjacent ends of said bosses each have an open recess surrounding and spaced from the shaft 12 for receiving the bearing and other elements hereinafter described. The remaining portions of bosses 30 have axial bores 34 for receiving the reduced end portions 16 of shaft 12, the adjacent or inner ends of said bosses having a conical bore 36 mating with shaft conical surface portion 18 to limit movement of said bosses inwardly along said shaft toward one another.

For demountably securing each of said bosses 30 to the ends of shaft 12, fastening elements are provided which limit any outward movement of said bosses along said shaft by pressing them inwardly into contact with the conical surfaces 18 on shaft 12. Thus, each boss 30 has a radially extending threaded bore 38 adjacent its outer end beyond cot 32. A threaded member 40 is provided in each said bore, said threaded member having a conical end surface 42 extending at an angle of about 45 to its axis to mate with the conical outer surface 22 of groove 20 to press the conical bore 36 of said boss into contact with shaft conical surface 18 and so limit any movement of said boss outward along shaft 12.

A central tube 44 surrounds the central shaft 12 between the bosses, said tube being spaced from the central shaft so that the shaft may rotate freely within it. Tube 44 is normally stationary and acts as the pressure transmitting member for transmitting the forces applied at its central portion by the usual roll supporting and weighting structure (not shown). Tube 44 extends well into the recesses of bosseslit), terminating just beyond races 14 in shaft 12. Immediately within its ends, tube 44 has mounted a pair of anti-friction bearing outer race elements 46 spaced radially outwardly from the inner races 14 in shaft 12, and preferably has suitable ball rolling elements 43 interposed between said outer races 46- and inner races 14, although other types of bearings could well be used, such as for example, needle bearings. In the latter case, it would not be necessary to provide inner bearing races and hence a construction could be provided wherein but a single demountable boss according to the present invention need be used for disassembly for lubrication, since the central tube could be removed from the central shaft for lubrication of the bearings therein.

A sleeve 50 is provided for maintaining said outer bearing race elements within the ends of tube 44, the outside diameter of said outer bearing race elements being the same as is the tube at its ends, so that when said sleeve is pressed over said elements and tube, the resulting assembly will be rigidly and accurately held together, and will turn freely on shaft 12. Preferably, a rubber seal 52 is positioned between said sleeve and said shaft to prevent lubricant leaving the bearing. However, the long passage around the outside of sleeve 50 aids in retaining lubricant and greatly reduces the possibility of its leaking out and damaging the yarn. 1

In operation, the central tube is supported and Weighted in the usual manner and the bosses are rotated therethe bearings pressed into; its .ends.

ar-ound .by.v contactof .thecots with the, usualspinning or roving frame bottom rolls. Disassembly for periodic lubrication of the rolling'bearings 43 is readily carried Joutsimply by unscrewing threaded members :40. sufficiently -;so'that .theinends'dlrare within bores 38 cleanoftheend portions 16. .of shaft 12, sliding. bosses 3tl..outwardly aOVI the ends of..-shaft. 12,. and removing.seals. 52. With a needle bearin construction employing-but a .single demountaole .boss,.-the tube.44 additionally is removed by sliding it end-wise .over the. endof shaft 12 for access to After iubrication, the top roll may be reassembled by, reversing the above procedures.

. tltiwill be lapparent to.:those.s killed in the art that variousrmodifications may be made within the, spirit of the invention and the scopeof theappcnded claims.

Lclaim: 1. 1A. top roll comprising a central shaft having at least -..one. end portion of. reduced diameter with a surface por- .tion: extending between the central portion of said shaft said shaft end portion including an inner bore mating with said surface portion to limit movement of said boss inwardly ,alongsaid shaft, and fastening means demountably securing said: one boss to said shaft for rotation therewith, said fastening means having an end surface mating with the conical outer surface of said groove to limit movement of said boss outwardly along said shaft. 2. Atop roll comprising a central shaft having at least one end portion of reduced diameter with a conical surface portion extending between the central portion of said shaft and said end portion, and an annular groove with a conical outer surface adjacent the outer end of said end portion, a pair of axially-spaced bosses mounted on said shaft, at least one of said bosses having an axial bore receiving said shaft end portion including a conical inner v,bore mating with said conical surface portion to limit movement of said boss inwardly along said shaft, and a fastening element demountably securlng said one boss .to said shaft for rotation therewith, said fastening element having a conical end surface mating with the conical outer surface of said groove to limit movement of said boss outwardly along said shaft.

3. A top roll comprising a central shaft having at least one end portion of reduced diameter with a surface portion extending between the central portion of said shaft and said end portion, and an annular groove with a conical outer surface adjacent the outer end of said end portion, avpair of axially-spaced bosses mounted on said shaft, at least one of said bosses having an axial bore receiving said shaft end portion including an inner bore mating with said surface portion to limit movement of said boss inwardly along said shaft, and a fastening element demountably securing said one boss to said shaft for rotation therewith, said fastening element including a threaded member extending radially through a threaded bore in said boss and having a conical end surface mating with i the conical outer surface of said groove to limit movement of said boss outwardly along said shaft.

4. A top roll comprising a central shaft having at least one end portion of reduced diameter with a conical surface portion extending between the central portion of said shaft and said end portion, and an annular groove with a. conical outer surface adjacent the outer end of said endportion, a pair of axially-spaced bosses mounted on said shaft, at least one of said bosses having an axial .nbore receiving said shaft end portion including a conical a inner bore mating with said conical surface portion to limit movement of said boss inwardly along said shaft, and a fastening element demountably securing said one boss to said shaft, said fastening element including a threaded member extending radially through a threaded bore in said boss and having a conical end surface mating with the conical outer surface of said groove to limit movement of said boss outwardly along said shaft.

5. A top roll comprising a central shaft having at least one end portion of reduced: diameter with a surface portion extending between the central portion of said shaft and said end portion and an annular groove with a conical outer surface adjacent the outer .end ;of.said end portion, a central pressure transmitting tube surrounding the central portion of said shaft, bearing means. interposed between said tube and said shaft, a pair of axially-spaced bosses mounted on saidshaft, at least one of said bosses having an axial bore receiving said shaft end portion including an inner bore mating with said surface portion to limit movement of said boss inwardly along said shaft, and a fastening element demountablysecuring said one boss to said shaft for rotation therewith, said fastening element including a threaded member extending radially through a threaded bore in said boss and having a conical end surface mating with the conical outer surface of said groove to limit movementof said boss outwardly along said shaft.

6. A top roll comprising a central shaft having at least one end portion of reduced diameter with a conical surface portion extending between the central portion of said shaft and said end portion, and an annular groove with a conical outer surface adjacent the outer end of said end portion, a central pressure transmitting tube surrounding the central portion of said shaft, bearing means interposed between said tube andsaid shaft, a pair of axially-spaced bosses mountedon said shaft, at least one of said bosses having an axial bore receiving said shaft end portion including a conical inner bore mating with said conical surface portion to limit movement of said boss inwardly along said shaft, and a fastening element demountably securing said one boss to said shaft, said fastening element including a threaded member extending radiallythrough a threaded bore in said boss and having a-conical, end surface mating with theconical outer surface of said groove to limit movement of said boss outwardly -along said shaft.

7. A top roll comprising a central shaft having a'pair 0f axially-spaced inner bearing races formed therein, end portions of reduced diameter extending outwardly beyond said races and having a conical surface portion extending between the central portion of said shaft and said end portions, and an annular groove with a conical ,outer surface adjacent the outer ends of each of said end portions, a central pressure transmitting tube surrounding the central portion of said shaft, rolling bearing means interposed between said tube and said inner bearing races on said shaft, a pair'of axially-spaced bosses having reduced outer ends mounted on said shaft, each of said bosses having axial bores receiving said shaft end portions including a conical inner bore mating with said conical surface portion to limit movement of a boss inwardly along said shaft, and fastening elements demountably securing each of said bosses to said shaft, said fastening elements including athreaded member extendingradially through a threaded bore in said reduced end portion of each said boss and having a conical end surface mating with the conical outer surface of said groove tov limit movement of a boss outwardly along said shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,315,936 Cobb Apr. 6, 1943 2,678,475 Cotchett May 18,1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 684,623 Great Britain Dec. 24, 1952 

